Staying Alive
by juzblue
Summary: Rachel the red ranger lives to protect the helpless. Rachel the assassin kills to stay alive. Two different worlds, one same person. When the hero gone missing, the killer was summoned to her world by accident. What will she do? Why was she here? What jok
1. Prologue Gate

**Staying Alive**

**Summary**: Rachel the red ranger lives to protect the helpless. Rachel the assassin kills to stay alive. Two different worlds, same person. When the hero gone missing, the killer was summoned to her world by accident. What will she do? Why was she here? What joke was fate playing on her this time?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the concept of Power Rangers, but the characters and story are mine. :D

**Prologue – Gate **

The metal claw crashed down and Rachel brought up her blade to meet it. Metals clashed and sparks flew. With a grunt, she forced it back and slashed the gray monster across its chest. She turned just in time and kicked another one on her right.

"Red, you okay there?" The Silver 'Knight' called from somewhere behind her. Rachel slammed her fist into another foot soldier.

"I'm fine!" _And I can take care of myself_, she thought grumpily.

"But they just keep coming!" Kendra, the pink ranger shouted from her right, "Any ideas?"

"It's the Gate!" Luc, the blue ranger, yelled from the other corner of the square, "The Gate of Scath! We have to shut it down!"

Ian, the black ranger, took down two foot soldiers with a swift kick. "Then do it!"

"We can't!" Erika, the yellow ranger, replied before Luc could. "It's too dangerous! The Gate's pure magic, and only-" A grunt. "-only magic can shut it down! And I don't have that kind of power!"

Coming from the resident sorceress, Rachel didn't doubt her. "Then think of something else! We can't hold them back forever!"

"I don't know 'something else'!"

"Erika-" Rachel growled.

"Now is not the time for this you guys!" Ian interrupted with a irritated growl. For two colors that look good together, Rachel and Erika often didn't get along well.

"How about the trigger?" Luc suggested, "There must be something that triggered all this! If one of us-"

"No!" Erika shouted somewhere from her left, taking care of the creatures trying to escape from the entrance to the square. "That's even worse! Do that and you could be blown into pieces from the explosion! Or go through the other side of the Gate!"

"Where is it?" Rachel demanded, landing a roundhouse kick on one of them.

"Rachel!" Kendra's surprised shout earned her a groan as she was distracted from the battle. "You wouldn't!"

Rachel gritted her teeth. They'd been fighting for one hour straight, some of the foot soldiers already got loose - "Just tell me!"

"Red!"

"You idiot!" Erika spat angrily, "You're doing this on purpose isn't it!"

She scowled and forced her irritation down. They were just tired... they were just tired... "Unless you can think of another way in two minutes, don't stop me! I have the Battle Armor! I'll be fine!"

"But-"

With her free hand, she shut down the open channel and opened communications to only one of them. "Erika, listen-"

"Don't give me-"

"LISTEN! Everyone's getting tired and more vulnerable, the foot soldiers are getting loose, people are getting hurt – we have to stop it! We're rangers!"

"But you don't have to-"

"I have to," she interrupted, gently but firmly, "I'm the only one with the battle armor, I can survive that explosion and I'll be fine! Now tell me where the trigger is."

She might have imagined it, but she thought she heard a sniffle on the other end. A quick glance told her the yellow ranger was still fighting, but the punches were more forceful and thoughtless. "You don't know the things I do, Rae! The explosion-"

"Will be nothing," she told her softly. She had always known why they didn't get along. And she had always known that Erika never meant anything bad. "You're a great friend, Erika, and a great ranger. I'm sorry about the bad things I said to you before, I'm sorry that I hurt you. But you have to let me do what I have to."

"You idiot."

"I know."

For a few moments, all she heard were grunts and punches. "It's the amulet in the middle of the Gate. Just destroy it – you won't have to go near it." Erika finished lamely.

"I know." she replied lightly, knowing that the other girl knew she would have to go there anyway, or else the explosion would get to everyone. "Thank you. Love ya. In a friend sort of way, 'kay?" she added quickly, realizing how it might have sound like.

"Just shut up."

Rachel smiled. She activated the open channel again.

"Red! What were you-"

"Rae!"

"Rachel!"

"What did you-"

"Wish me luck, guys!" she shouted over the noise and pushed forward with renewed strength.

"What do you mean-"

"Rachel!"

"Red! Rachel!"

She halted at the voice. She punched a foot soldier in the eye and risked a backward glance, the knight drowning out all her other friends' voices.

"Rachel! Don't. Please."

"You finally know my name, huh?" She turned back to her battle and fought, now with a smile on her face. He would never know how long she'd waited for him to say that. Maybe he did care after all.

The others were trying to get to her now. She had to move fast. "Battle Armor online!" The crimson armor materialized, covering her chest, shoulders, waist and thighs with the hardest but lightest metal known to men. She shifted her grip and her blade transformed, turning bigger and heavier.

"Rachel!" Several of them yelled in unison.

_I love you guys_, she thought as loud as she could to Kendra, knowing the telepath would pass it on.

With a war cry, she leaped and flipped, slashing the few minions that dared to get in her way. A huge vortex that glowed with infernal flame loomed overhead, endless foot soldiers coming out of it. A saucer-sized amulet hung in the middle of it all, just a few inches above her head.

_Always at the middle,_ she thought, _how cliché_.

And with one last cry, she jumped and crush it.


	2. Chapter 1 Hundredth and Counting

**Staying Alive**

**Summary: **Rachel the red ranger lives to protect the helpless. Rachel the assassin kills to stay alive. Two different worlds, same person. When the hero gone missing, the killer was summoned to her world by accident. What will she do? Why was she here? What joke was fate playing on her this time?

**Chapter 1 – Hundredth and counting**

The wrinkly old man paused, putting down his fork while smiling absently at his wife across the table and swallowed a few mouthfuls of red wine, unknowingly drinking to his death.

A waitress took orders from a near by table and walked back to the counter, flinching slightly at her reflection on the glass panels. She gave orders to another waiter there and frowned at the panels, picking at the mole on her right temple.

Any minute now.

"A glass of iced water please," Another waitress, a brunette, placed an empty tray on the counter and smiled sympathetically. "You must hate it. The ah, mole, I mean."

During her two days here, she'd concluded the other girl was, overall, a nice person, but that didn't mean she wasn't trying to hard. She made a face at her. "Tell me about it."

The brunette – Jennifer? Jessica? - chuckled and patted her shoulder.

The glass of iced water came. She took her fingers off her mole and turned to the other girl. "Hey, J?" she called, hoping the other girl wouldn't mind her new nickname. She didn't. "Can you take the drinks to table eighteen for me? I need to-" she cocked her head to the general direction of the restroom, "-ya know?"

"Sure thing, Sam."

"Thanks. I owe you one!" she said, turning. She glanced at her watch. Almost time. She grabbed her bag and paused outside the restroom, which was conveniently located across the back door. She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and waited.

Barely a few seconds later, the wife screamed.

"Someone call 911!"

"Peter! Oh god..."

"Ma'am, you have to let me-"

"Peter! Peter!"

'Sam' shut the door behind her and threw the fake mole into the dark alley.

* * *

A black Mercedes-Benz slid into view. Rachel Steed brought up her watch, squinting against the scorching sun. 2.00pm. She smiled. Right on time, as always. She stretched luxuriously on the bench, taking her time. With renewed energy, she hopped up and walked towards the car.

"The blond look didn't work out for you?" Keith asked as she climbed in, a teasing smile on his fatherly face.

Rachel rolled her eyes and shut the door, taking a moment to enjoy the heavenly air-conditioned atmosphere. She sighed in satisfaction and leaned back, prepared to dive straight into dreamland.

"Tired?"

"Hmm."

"Your seatbelt."

She snorted and put on her seatbelt as told. "Mission went without a hitch, by the way."

He nodded, changing gear as they turned onto the highway. "Never doubted that it wouldn't."

She smiled slightly at that. Keith would have made a great dad if he wasn't in this line of business, she was sure. "Where're we going, again?"

"Home. I'm giving you a break. A couple of months, maybe. You've been working hard enough lately."

"Thank you," she said sincerely and stretched her arms again, suddenly excited. "I could use a couple of months pigging out..."

"Make sure you stay in shape, though. Wouldn't want you to slip on your one hundred and first assignment."

She pouted, rather distractedly. So that was why he was giving her a break. That grandpa was her one hundredth assignment. She thought she wouldn't remember. That she would have been numb by now. But she wasn't. Somehow, subconsciously, she had been counting. Always counting.

_"Daddy! Daddy!"_

_"Oh my god..."_

_"No!"_

_"Peter! Peter!_"

"Kinda anti-climatic, though, don't you think?" she said after a few moments of silence, playing with the tiny teddy bear hanging from the rear view mirror, "You'd think the one hundredth'd be special. Who knew I only need to wear an apron and waltz in and slip the poison-"

"Steed-"

"Why did they want to kill him anyway?" she asked, suddenly not able to stop herself. "He seemed like a normal kind of bloke. He's not even filthy rich-"

"You're getting soft, Steed."

A beat. "I'm not."

"You're asking questions, Steed. And it's making you soft."

Another pause. "I'm not." she hissed, and both of them knew there would be no further discussion on the way home.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! Anyway, just a short... warning or sort - this fic is mostly Rachel-the-assassin centric, so... try to give her a chance. :P

Btw, school's gonna start (they make us go back to school on the third day of New Year, inhuman, isn't it? pouts), so... you know. But I'll try to update as frequent as possible.

And Happy New Year everybody!


	3. Chapter 2 Gone

**Staying Alive**

**Summary: **Rachel the red ranger lives to protect the helpless. Rachel the assassin kills to stay alive. Two different worlds, same person. When the hero gone missing, the killer was summoned to her world by accident. What will she do? Why was she here? What joke was fate playing on her this time?

**Chapter 2 – Gone**

_I love you guys._

Kendra gasped and covered her ears. Even as the roaring sound disappeared, the echo still lingered. A war cry from far away made her look up, and she felt tears in her eyes._ Rae..._

Suddenly, everything fell silent. And a blinding flash made her cover her eyes. Next came a thunderous roar that made her cover her ears tight again. It drowned out everything else and for a moment, she even forgot where she was.

And then there was silence.

"Rachel!" Was the first voice she heard. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gasped.

The army of foot soldiers were now piles of ashes, completely incinerated by the blast. She glanced around. The square was completely silent and empty except for them. It felt... hollow, somehow.

"Rachel! Rachel!" It took her a moment to realize why the voice sounded so strange. She watched, detached and distant, as Silver scrambled to where the Gate had been, kicking away fallen rocks and searching desperately. _He called her by name..._

Kendra felt faint. She was trembling.

Somewhere to her left, Erika fell on all fours with a thud. As if waking from a dream, Kendra rushed over to her. "Erika!" Her voice dry and shaky, "Ar-are you okay?"

Luc came from the other side, supporting the now demorphed Erika. She was panting and she looked pale. Kendra suddenly knew why they were not affected by the blast.

"Did you shield us just now?" Luc asked before she could, both of them helping her stand. The other girl nodded numbly, her eyes far away.

Kendra helped her brush away a stray strand of dark blond hair, her tears silently falling. She knew what the other girl must knew too – Erika, a sorceress, must have known, or at least have an idea of, the magnitude of that blast. It was part of the reason why she knew how to shield them and that took that much out of her. And her, the telepath, knew because she couldn't feel Rachel with her mind anymore. Not even the faint, muted presence she felt when she was sleeping or unconscious.

"Where is she?" Erika asked weakly, her eyes scanning the area.

Kendra followed her eyes, yet she only saw the now demorphed Ian and Silver fumbling through the detritus of their victory, looking for someone who she knew would never be the same again.

* * *

It had started raining. Not the loud, annoying kind of rain but a soothing, silent drizzle. Rachel loved this kind of rain. She couldn't help but smile even though she was getting soaked. She adjusted her cap and held out her palm, enjoying the gentle touch.

"I know you'd say I'm crazy again." she said, smiling fondly at the headstone. "Or being melodramatic." The graveyard was painfully silent, and suddenly she felt choked. "I..."

She took a deep breath and allowed a tear to drop. "I wish you knew how to enjoy life a little. The little things, ya know? The rain, the rainbow and – of course, the chocolates. That, I know you don't have a problem with."

She hesitated – she felt like sitting down, but her butt would get soaked that way. Then she remembered her bike up on the hill – it wasn't covered, so her butt would get wet anyway. With a shrug and a chuckle, she sat down and leaned sideways against the headstone, feeling as if it were five years ago, albeit the comforting presence was much harder and more squarish.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but the rain did stop when she was back to the present. With one last sigh, she stood up and dusted her bottom, grimacing at the dampness. She glared automatically at the headstone, as if it had been laughing at her.

"I'm blaming you for this, you know." she told the headstone and turned around to leave. But found out she wasn't ready to. She sighed, knowing she couldn't hide anything from her – even now that she's been dead for five years.

"Keith said I'm getting soft." she said, still with her back to the headstone. "But I know I'm not. Doing it doesn't bother me anymore, not that it ever did – you taught me the art of it. Did I ever tell you that?

"I just – remember, you know?" She finally turned back and faced the gentle and inviting friend, hugging herself in the cool air. "You know the way people can't sleep and count sheep at night? Yeah, yeah. I used to do that. Don't laugh." she waited, and thought she heard a stifled giggle. "But now... I don't know when it started but – I count them. Every single one of them."

She let out a hollow laugh. "Are you surprised I have a photographic memory now?"

The engravings were silent and understanding. Her face soften.

"Good bye, beautiful."

**A/N:** Reviews are welcome. :D


	4. Chapter 3 Yet You Linger

**Staying Alive**

**Summary:** Rachel the red ranger lives to protect the helpless. Rachel the assassin kills to stay alive. Two different worlds, same person. When the hero gone missing, the killer was summoned to her world by accident. What will she do? Why was she here? What joke was fate playing on her this time?

**Disclaimer:** Damn. I forgot this the last few chapters. Oh well. I don't own power rangers, blah blah. You know the drill. :)

**Chapter 3 - ...Yet You Linger**

A plate of sandwich slammed on his desk.

"Eat."

Silver looked up and saw Luc, with a unusual frown that seemed alien on his face. He shifted his gaze to the ham sandwich, an Earth food he'd become quite familiar with. His eyes found their way back to the screen. "Thank you. I'll get to it."

"When was the last time you left this chair?"

_Two hours? Five?_ He shook his head, his eyes scanning the data again. He could almost memorize it by now. _The Gate of Scath, a magical portal used by sorcerers of the dark to summon infernal armies or-_

Luc grabbed his shoulders and forced him to face the younger male. "Working yourself to death isn't going to bring Rae back! So snap out of it!"

He glared. And looked away when he saw the unshed tears that were too, shinning in the blue ranger's eyes. Luc let go, probably seeing the same thing.

"I'm sorry," Luc paused and sat on his desk without invitation. "But don't do this to yourself. Erika hadn't been eating much the last two days. Ian kept to himself. Kendra's hurting, and even more when she sees them – you, us – like this. Can't you see? Rae wouldn't want to see this. She would be mad if she knew."

"Red isn't gone yet," he returned to his screen yet again, fingers flying across the keyboard and heart beating so fast that he could feel it in his ears. "She's still out there, Blue, I know it. She could be suffering. Or hurting."

Luc let out an exasperated sigh. "What is it with you and names, huh? You've been living with us for three months now and colors are the best you can do? I know your name's 'Silver' and all-"

"Blue-"

"See? Maybe it's some alien code I don't know, but here on Earth, we call people by their names."

"Will you just-"

"Especially among friends. Why are we even friends if you can't even say our names?" The blue ranger looked away, "I might be making a big deal out of this but – do you know how much Rae wanted you to call us – and her – by our names?"

He knew this was Blue's way of dealing with the los– situation, but he couldn't help feeling guilty. His throat felt dry and he did not know how to answer.

Luc went on, "She knows it makes us uncomfortable, she knows it was annoying – really annoying, at times. And she knew, as the leader, she should do something about it." Luc gave a humorless snort. "Silly girl. Thinks she's responsible for everything 'cause of a color she's stuck with.

"Silly..."

The words on the screen had blurred, slurring together into a neat, meaningless pile of sanity. Silver only saw Red's – _Rachel's, _he corrected himself absently – face, her shy smile, her infectious laugh, her determined eyes. And then he saw himself, the famed Silver Knight, fumbling and stumbling in an ash-covered square on a backwater planet, looking desperately for a short little human girl. Searching and searching and searching...

* * *

Kendra paused at the doorway, frowning sadly at the sight of Ian working on the scanners, again. Said person then paused, and scratched the bridge of his nose tiredly. Her heart ached. Quietly, she walked to him and hugged him from behind, hushing when he started in surprise. "Get some rest, will you? Don't do this to me."

Ian rubbed her hands absently, but it was comforting nonetheless. "I'll rest later. Promise. I only have some more-"

"Ian..."

He sighed. He kept quiet for a while. "She's not gone yet. She couldn't be."

"I know." Kendra held on to him, forcing back the tears that threatened to break through. She hadn't told anyone yet, even two days after, about the feeling – the horrible, horrible sensation – when Rachel was cut off from her. She felt like she lost a part of herself, feeling cold and incomplete.

Ian gently lifted her hands and turned around to face her, kissing her forehead lightly. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

She let out a sob. She couldn't take it anymore. "You don't understand, Ian... I... I can't..." Her eyes widen and she shut up, suddenly realizing what she had almost done. Rachel was like a little sister to him, and he was already this upset, how could she – she, of all people – do this to him? She choked back a sob, and took deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

"Kendra...?"

"I-I'm fine. Just ... tired, I guess."

Ian eyed her with suspicious narrowed eyes. He sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair gently, "Ken-"

"Guys!" Erika burst into the room, panting and a wild look in her bloodshot eyes. "I found it! I found a way to bring Rae back!"

* * *

Slowly, she came around. Weak and exhausted. As her senses recovered, she opened her mouth to let out a silent scream. It hurts. Everywhere.

She was kneeling, she realized, her arms tied to something high above. She stirred, and cried out in pain. Whatever that binds her arms had thorns all over it, and only now she felt the layer of dried blood that must have covered her arms, refreshed by the blood caused by her movement.

Opening her eyes brought tears to them, yet through her blurred sight, she only saw a vast of nothingness. Tiny speckles of silver glittered and shone, but they never last. She looked as hard as she could.

_Where... am I?_

**A/N:**I have good news and bad news. Bad thing is, updates might take even longer than this from now on because school has been unexpectedly mean to me. :pouts: All the homework... sigh.

Good news is, Chinese New Year's coming, I'll probably have some free time next week. I'll see what I can do.

(And yeah, I'm Chinese. :P)

Review:D


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